Air treatment device

ABSTRACT

A device for treatment of air in a room or other space in which the air is perfumed, or deodorized, or purified. A solid refractory material acts as a carrier for air-treatment material thereon which is gasified upon heating of the carrier material. The solid carrier material is held in a casing within which an electrically energized heating element, preferably in the form of a lamp, heats the refractory material and the air-treatment material is liberated to effect the air treatment. The lamp also serves as an indicator light to show whether or not the device is energized.

United States Patent 11 1 Moran 1 1 AIR TREATMENT DEVICE [75] Inventor:Gonzalo Moran, Madrid, Spain [73] Assignee: Comercial Super-Dix, S.A.,Madrid,

Spain [22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 292,309

[52] U.S.C1 ..21/74 R;21/120;219/271;

219/276; 239/136; 55/274; 55/279; 55/524 [51] Int. Cl A6119/02 [58]Field of Search 55/279, 274, 387, 524;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,435,756 2/1948 Schlesinger239/136 X 2,604,572 7/1952 Hudson 21/74 R X 2,742,342 4/1956 Dew ct a1.21/210 X 2,990,032 6/1961 Sandvig 55/274 3,299,620 1/1967 Hollingworth55/279 X 3,403,252 9/1968 Nagy 55/279 X 3,518,046 6/1970 Cicirello55/279 X 1 1 Dec. 2, 1975 Primary Examiner-Frank W. Lut ter AssistantE.\'aminerWilliam Cuchlinski, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Darby & Darby[57] ABSTRACT A device for treatment of air in a room or other space inwhich the air is perfumed, or deodorized, or purified. A solidrefractory material acts as a carrier for air-treatment material thereonwhich is gasified upon heating of the carrier material. The solidcarrier material is held in a casing within which an electricallyenergized heating element, preferably in the form of a lamp, heats therefractory material and the airtreatment material is liberated to effectthe air treatment. The lamp also serves as an indicator light to showwhether or not the device is energized.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures U.S. Patant Dec. 2, 1975 3,923,458

IIIIIIIIIHHI I u III II II 2 AIR TREATMENT DEVICE CROSS REFERENCE TORELATED APPLICATIONS The present invention relates to an air treatmentdevice of the type described in my co-pending application Ser. No.292,308 filed Sept. 26, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to dispensersand more particularly to an air-treatment device for perfuming,purifying and/or deodorizing the air within a space.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Air perfuming devices and dispensers are wellknown. Many of these devices simply hold a vaporizable liquid fortreatment of the air or a solid material that is sublimated. Generallythese devices are limited to treatment of the air in relatively smallconfined space. Y

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A general purpose of the present invention isto provide an aim-treatment device that can be constructed as a smallunit for small spaces and constructed as a large unit for use in largeopen spaces, for example factories and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an airtreatment device ordispenser in which heat is used for carrying out the gasification of anair-treatment material which is liberated from a solid carrier materialwhich is unchanged by the application of heat.

The dispenser and air-treatment device according to the inventioncomprises a tubular casing within which is defined at least one spaceadjacent one end of the casing which is in communication with theatmosphere and the interior of the casing. Within this space is held asolid carrier material which is treated with a gasifiable material whichis driven off from the carrier material by the application of heat tothe space and carrier material therein.

Within the casing a heating element, formed by a lamp of an appropriatevoltage, is located and connections are provided to switch it to a powersource exterior to the container. The casing also has a window with atransparent cap that will be illuminated when the lamp lights to act asa pilot light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of theair-treatment device in accordance with the invention will appear fromthe following description of an example of the invention, and the novelfeatures will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims anddrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of an air-treatment device according to theinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the air-treatment device in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As illustrated in the drawingsan air-treatment device according to the invention comprises a tubularcasing l which is made of a suitable material, such as metal or plastic.The casing is provided at opposite ends with removable end covers 2having a grate, 3 with openings 20 therein. The end covers are providedwith an annular shoulder 22 by which they can be slidably and snugglyfitted into the tubular casing 1.

Within the casing 1 washer-like elements 4 are mounted. Each element 4has a central opening providing communication between the centralinterior area of the casing 1 and its end spaces adjacent the grates 3.Each of the elements 4 is provided with a plurality of projections I2spaced from each other and facing toward the respective grate 3. Theprojections 12 fit into openings 13 in a solid cake of carrier material15 to snugly hold the material within the respective end spaces betweenan element 4 and a grate 3.

The solid carrier material 15 is provided with gasifiable air-treatmentmaterial thereon that is capable of treatment of the air when thecarrier material 15 is subjected to heat, for example when the spacewithin is heated. The material 15 is solid refractory materialcontaining, for example, perfume oil or essence which is more readilyliberated when the cake of material is heated.

The heating element formed by the lamp 5 is located between washers 7and supplied power through the terminals, 8, 9 which are connected tothe corresponding power source not shown.

To enable a user check the device to ensure that the unit iselectrically activated, a transparent plastic cap 6 is provided in thecasing through which it can be seen if the lamp 5 is energized or on thecontrary if it is off and the treatmentdevice not being heated. As canbe seen, the lamp 5 serves the dual function of both heating the airtreatment material and also providing an indication of whether or notthe device is electrically energized.

What is claimed is:

1. An air treatment device for perfuming, deodorizing and purifying aircomprising, a tubular casing, grate means at each end of said casingproviding communication between the interior of said casing and theatmosphere, a respective holding means axially spaced from each saidgrate means, a cake of solid carrier material carrying thereon a heatactivated gasifiable, air-treatment material mounted on each saidholding means adjacent a said grate means, an electrically activatedlamp within said casing adjacent said cakes of carrier material to heatsaid carrier material and liberate the treatment material therein whichpasses through the respective grate means to the area adjacent thecasing, means for connecting said lamp to an electrical power source,and means in said casing through which the lamp is viewable to determineif the device is energized.

2. An air treatment device according to claim 1 in which each saidholding means comprises a washer-like element having a central opening,a portion of said lamp located adjacent said holding means.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said means for viewing the lampcomprises a circular cap of transparent plastic material in a wall ofsaid casing.

1. AN AIR TREATMENT DEVICE FOR PERFUMING, DEODORIZING AND PURIFYING AIRCOMPRISING, A TUBULAR CASING, GRATE MEANS AT EACH END OF SAID CASINGPROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF SAID CASING AND THEATMOSPHERE, A RESPECTIVE HOLDING MEANS AXIALLY SPACED FROM EACH SAIDGRATE MEANS, A CAKE OF SOLID CARRIER MATERIAL CARRING THEREON A HEATACTIVATED GASIFIABLE, AIR-TREATMENT MATERIAL MOUNTED ON EACH SAIDHOLDING MEANS ADJACENT A SAID GRATE MEANS, AN ELECTRICALLY ACTIVATEDLAMP WITHIN SAID CASING ADJACENT SAID CAKES OF CARRIER MATERIAL TO HEATSAID CARRIER MATERIAL AND LIBERATE THE TREATMENT MATERIAL THEREIN WHICHPASSES THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE GRATE MEANS TO THE AREA ADJACENT THECASING, MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID LAMP TO AN ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE,AND MEANS IN SAID CASING THROUGH WHICH THE LAMP IS VIEWABLE TO DETERMINEIF THE DEVICE IS ENERGIZED.
 2. An air treatment device according toclaim 1 in which each said holding means comprises a washer-like elementhaving a central opening, a portion of said lamp located adjacent saidholding means.
 3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said means for viewingthe lamp comprises a circular cap of transparent plastic material in awall of said casing.